Made new

I look at pictures of myself and think, is that really me? Am I really that fit and have that Roxy Girl body I have always wanted? Have I actually defeated the scale? Wait….is that really me?

I have lost 77LBS over the last 3 years and 45Lbs of that has been in the last 9 months since starting to train with Dan.

The negative self-talk I have had to overcome in the last 9 month has been my biggest battle. The amount of times Dan has complement me on my progress and my reaction would be to instantly down play it, was staggering. The negativity and low self-esteem was so engrained in me and had become who I was that it took working on changing it each and every day, even every hour. I learned to take each day at a time and start focusing on my journey rather than the end result. We are part of a generation that wants everything now and when it comes to your personal fitness journey, it just doesn’t happen now! It takes time, effort and determination and because of those there key factors I had to put aside the need for “now” and focus on today. This was another major mental change that I had to make to succeed in my journey.

Believe you me, I had many bad days. If you are on your own fitness journey, you are not alone in these bad days. I have cheated many times with ice cream, chips and McDonalds. I would eventually admit to Dan of these sad truth and he would say to me “Today is a new day, make today count”. With the constant positive, uplifting and encouraging words from my coach I was able to let go of that self-guilt and move on. My mind had to change from “Well I ate poorly yesterday so who cares if I do again today” to “Today is a new day and I am going to do my best”.

And then there were good days where I would kill my work out, eat clean and feel great. I would call Dan to tell him how well I had done and we would rejoice. I remembered when I first started this journey in January 2015, I ran my stairs in my house and was able to do 10 rounds of 2 flights in 30 minutes. I called Dan so happy and he was nothing but positive and encouraging. Looking back on that time, that is nothing compared to what I can do now but it was where I had to start to get where I am today. Although these were small feets for me, Dan was always happy about my accomplishments.

I would strongly suggest getting a work out partner or a strong support system as you go through your journey. They will be there with you to rejoice in your victories and to listen on your bad days and ultimately encourage you to keep going.

Along with a good support system I developed a mantra for my fitness journey.
I am Fit, I am Healthy, I love me.
I have said this countless times I am I running the last 2K to my 10K run, as I am dying in the gym training with Dan for the last 15 minutes of our 2 hour work out and as I am fuelling my body with healthy foods rather than eating junk because of it tastes good.

The way you speak and think to yourself will define who you are. Make that change today, develop your own mantra (Heck take mine) and say it often so you start to believe it. It all comes down to your mind. Once your mental game is in check, the rest will fall into place. You need to believe you can do it.

Not only was my mental talk a major obstacle that I faced, the scale was also. I had to put it away. I started 90 day game plans with Dan. We would set up my meal plan, my work outs and do my measurement and weight at the start of the 90 days and I was strictly not allowed to weigh in for the full 90 days. I actually had to take the battery out of the scale so I would not be tempted. Take a minute to read Dans blog, “Its not about the number” because that couldn’t be more true. You can see from the picture below that I weighted 170LBS in 2007 and weigh 185LBS in August 2015 and look at the difference. Its really about your fitness and nothing to do with your number. PUT YOUR SCALE AWAY and focus that energy on eating clean and working out. You will notice a difference.

My Journal Blogs are titled Made New because I truly have been made new. Dan and I are both Christians and our faith is foundational to who we are. Over the last couple of years, I have seen God working in my life, taking me apart piece by piece to make me a new creation. I have had a rough go for the last couple of years but I don’t like focusing on that or even talking about it, I like to focus my energy on all the changes that I have seen and how God is Making me New. Not only is God working on my heart and healing from the inside but through the changes I have made in my fitness life I can say that I am being Made New on the outside also.

This fitness journey has just started for me. I am 9 months in and still have a good year to go to get to my new homeostasis and truly lead a healthy life style. I will still have those bad days, sneak those chocolate bars and deal with negative self-talk but it’s a day by day journey.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words, constant support and prayers. They are the best form of motivation!

This is my story, what’s yours? 
Please leave me a comment below or send Dan an email (which he will forward to me) if you have any questions, want to tell me your story or are looking for accountability. I would love to hear from you.